Improvement in machines for grinding horseshoe-calks



A 1. LITTLE. Machines for Grinding Horseshoe Galks.

No. [37,852, v Patented April 15, 1873.

AM FHDTO-LITHOGRAPHIG ca. N. flasaamvz's macgss) son very often neglected, but the taking off UNITE STATES" TENT FF J OHN LITTLE, OF NEWBUBG, NEW YORK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 137,852, dated April 15, 1873; application filed February 24, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, JOHN LITTLE, of Newburg, New York, have invented certain Improvements in Machine for Sharpening Horseshoe-Oalks.

The following is a full, clear, and exact description of my newly-invented horseshoesharpener, reference being had to the annexed drawing, in which- 7 Figure 1 is a side view of the machine. Fig. 2 represents a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is an end view of the upper part of the same.

My invention consists in providing a suitable tool or machine to sharpen the calks on horseshoes when they are on the hoofs of the horses, in place of taking the horseshoes off, and sharpening them in the usual way by making the calks hot in fire and stretching the same with a hammer on the anvil. This latter process, which, during winter-time, has so often to be repeated when the streets and roads are slippery with ice, to prevent horses, mules, 860., from slipping and falling, does not only require much time, and is for that reaand fastening the horseshoes to the hoof so often frequently spoils the hoofs. My invention also consists in the arrangement of a cutter-wheel on the grinding-wheel shaft, hereinafter more fully explained.

.The main part of the machine is a simple coarse emery wheel or grindstone, revolved by means of gearing or friction, and can be arranged to be driven by hand, or by foot-lever or by a belt, &c., according to the locality or the frequency with which it may be used; but the peculiarity of the machine consists in the construction and the arrangement of its details to enable the grindingwheel to be brought in any desirable position. It can be inclined to any degree, or be horizontal, vertical, or can be turned around a vertical axis in any direction, and the machine can be raised or lowered, as may be required, and can be kept in such position during operation by fastening set-screws to keep the parts in their position.

The machine as represented in drawing is portable. It is fastened 'to a piece of plank or a bed-plate of suitable material, heavy enough to keep it standing erect on the floor,

and it can be moved about easy so as tobring it in a proper position for the operation.

The horses foot is lifted up, as is usually done, by taking off or putting on horseshoes the grinding-wheel is set in rotary motion, and its face is moved over the sides of the calks, which are easily sharpened in this way. As the toe-calk only is made of steel it is principally this one that requires sharpening, but the other two heel-calks are also quickly sharpened in the same way. The axle, which carries the grindingwheel on one end, has at tached to the other end a cutter for the pur pose of removing the frog out the horses hoofs, if desired, and is used in the same manner as the grinding-wheel.

Referring to the drawing, A is the grindin g wheel, which is fastened to spindle D, and is driven by means of the bevel-gearing E and F. The bracket B 13 carries the spindle D in its bearings O and has attached to it a long hollow pipe, G g, through which a small shaft, P, is running its entire length, which shaft carries at one end the large bevel=wheel F, and on the other end the miter-wheel K one of a set of compound gears, to double the speed of the grinding-wheel A. The miter-wheel Kl is fastened to the hollow spindle g, and another miter-wheel, K rides on a stud, which, with the sleeve L, is movable. around the shaft P. The hollow spindle G g runs through a hollow pipe, H, with two trunn ions h b which rest in bearings 1 1 and is kept in its place by a shoulder on the pipe G at one end and by the hub of wheel K at the other end. The two bearings I 1 which carry the sleeve H, and with it the whole upper part of the machine, are connected by an arched bracket, S 8 8 which is movable around a vertical spindle, Q, so that the whole upper part of the machine can be turned in any direction around the spindle Q, which is held upright or kept in its place by a vertical column, W; or, if the sleeve S is fastened to the spindle Q by set-screw a, the machine can turn with spindle Q, around its center. The upper part of the machine with spindle Q can be raised and held in an elevated posi tion by using set-screw r, to hold up the spindle Q, and again the upper part without Q can be raised higher yet by fastening the coltion.

lar R higher up on spindle Q by set-screw w, and let sleeve S rest on collar B. By tight ening set-screw u, sleeve S with the bearings I I stands firm, but the sleeve H is allowed yet to move around its trunnions h h in vertical plane to any inclined position until the cap-screws n n on the bearings are holding the tr'unnions tightly clamped. The hollow spindle G g is yet movable around its centerline, and around the shaft P, so that the bracket B B and with it the grinding-wheel A and shaft D, can be turned up or down", or all around, so that the wheel A may come in the place which was occupied by the cutter Y, or "ice versa. Tightening the set-screw 0 will hold firmly the sleeve G g in a certain posi- This leaves only the shafts P and D movable which are set in motion by the use of crank 0.

During the operation of sharpening the ealks on the horseshoe the wheel A has to travel'over an edge of two to three inches in length the width of the toe-calk, and by loosening the set-screw u the upper part of the machine can. turn around the spindle Q and enable the wheel A to move over the whole width of the calks.

I do not claim the compound gearing on this machine as animportant'part of the same, as those gears can easily be exchanged for another pair of bevel-gears to give higher speed to the grinding-wheel, and which may be done if the details of the machine are fastened to a wooden frame instead of held by an iron column, as represented; or, if the power should be taken from any other source than the hand, in which case the compound gearing may be dispensed with entirely.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The portable compound machine, consisting of the grinding-wheel A and cutter Y, arranged onthe same shaft, and capable of being adjusted to any desired position by the means substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

. JOHN LITTLE.

'Witnesses:

WILLIAM L. WARD, GILBERT G. CARPENTER. 

